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Saturday, November 7, 2009

1st Annual MASSIVE Australian Blues weekend!

This is an idea that came out of drunken ramblings one night at Cheers, but the more we think about it and have talked about it, the more we like it. We kept schtum for a little while, but now we can announce the details of the first of many Australia-wide gatherings of Blues.

We're encouraging as many of our friends from interstate to get involved. If you're interested, please contact either myself or Brendo.

Here is Brendo's letter to you all.

Dear Blues,

Greetings to everyone from Perth, Melbourne, Brisbane, to our friends ‘Across the Ditch’ and everyone in between. Hopefully you are all enjoying the fine start to the season that the lads are putting on and have all got your heartbeat back on track after the match against the clock. It’s been a great year so far and the early signs are that silverware is not too far off.

So to celebrate the great things happening on the field and the great things happening in the supporters club locally, it is with great pleasure that I extend to you an invitation to the 1st Annual Manchester City Australian Supporter’s Club weekend. Over the past few years the supporter base in Australia has exploded and we now boast quite healthy groups in many corners of the country.

The idea behind the weekend is to gather once a year in one City for a weekend of fun, sight seeing, food and of course, football – all in the company of our Blue companions. For this season the Sydney Supporters Club has taken it upon ourselves to welcome you all our fair City for what looks to be a great weekend.

The DetailsThe proposed weekend is the 19th,20th and 21st of February, 2010. This is the weekend of our home match against Liverpool FC and is sure to be an important match in the race to the finish. This time was chose to give fans enough time to book flights and hotels, and to organize numbers for group events we have planned

ScheduleDay Time Friday 19th: Arrive in SydneySydney’s airport is located very close to the CBD with a train, taxi or shuttle bus taking 15-20 minutes depending on traffic and the location of your hotel. The CBD has plenty of hotels at reasonable rates. We are currently looking into group discounts so the more, the merrier!

Night Time Friday – Ten Pin BowlingBy the lights of Darling Harbour the Blues will converge to enjoy a drink, a game of bowling and a chance to meet with everyone. At the venue will be big screens showing live sport (presumably the cricket) and music. The venue is totally kid friendly for those with families in tow (or grown ups who like video games).

Following the Bowling you can head to one of many bars in Darling Harbour, stroll through the scenic wharfs and take in the street entertainment or head into the city for live music, cinemas and yes, more bars!

Day Time Saturday 20th – Bus Tour/PicnicThe group will be meeting around midday for a scenic bus ride aboard our very own blue vintage double-decker bus! We will take in the sites of the city and finish with a BBQ in Hyde Park and a kick of the football (whichever shape you choose!)

Evening Saturday 20th – Dinner/Match Day EventWith the game upon us and the butterflies in the stomach we will head to the Bowlers Club of Sydney where a buffet dinner, audio visual presentations and special guest Simon Hill from Fox Sports will be joining us*. Here will be a chance to gather together, have dinner, sing a few songs and get ourselves ready for the big game.

Depending on game time** the match will either be screened in the Bowlers Club, or at our sponsor Cheers Bar. If the match is shown at Cheers then unfortunately children under the age of 18 will not be permitted, however they are more than welcome in the Bowlers Club.

*Subject to work commitment **Subject to club operating hours.

Sunday 21st – Victory Day!Hopefully we will have all celebrated long and hard into the night as the Blues triumph. Some of you may return home this day and some of you may be staying longer, but here is the end of the weekend. Hopefully you have had a fun time, made some new friends and got plenty of ideas for when your City host the Australian Blues!

I realise some people may be reading this, thinking it is a little crazy to fly somewhere to watch a match on a TV. Whilst this may be true, you can’t deny that it is a great feeling when City scores and you are surrounded by Blues. What we want to create is an annual event that gives us all a chance to see the country, meet new friends and enjoy great football, great weather (something the English fans don’t have) and the camaraderie between the City fans.

Please pass this letter on to City fans through Supporters Club, web forums, facebook and any other means by which you find City fans.

Expression of InterestPlease send an email to myself, Brendan Smith, or Matt Coleman via Facebook, marked with your name and number of people who are thinking of attending. We would like to finalise numbers within the next month, so that costs can be minimised. There is no commitment to money at this stage, just an expression of interest. Later next week another letter will be sent with an outline of the expected costs.

As stated earlier we are trying to organize group bookings for flights and hotels, but if anyone has any contacts they can suggest for these elements that would be appreciated.Thank you all for your time in reading this and for the effort you have all put into building the respective branches of the City Supporters Club. I look forward to meeting you all in February and enjoying a great weekend.

Forever Blue,Brendan Smith

Let us know what you think, and hopefully we see a few more faces at Cheers tonight.